


Calendars

by ReadWithDetermination



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Brother Feels, Brotherly Affection, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Brothers, Comedy, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Frisk SAVES both Chara and Asriel through the Power of Breaking the Space-Time Continuum, Funny, Gaster Is Referenced but Not Mentioned, Happy Ending, Heartwarming, Humor, M/M, Marriage Proposal, References to PTSD, The Happy Ending they all deserve, Underfell Papyrus (Undertale), Underfell Papyrus Isn't a Jerk to His Bro, Underfell Sans (Undertale), Underswap Sans (Undertale), Underswap Sans and Underfell Sans Are a Couple, Underswap Sans is a BAMF, Undertale Monsters on the Surface, Undertale Multiverse, Very Minor Suggestive Jokes, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, very minor swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:27:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21838204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReadWithDetermination/pseuds/ReadWithDetermination
Summary: Underfell Papyrus looks back on how ending up in the Underswap universe has (happily) affected his brother and himself.  Then it’s time for some brotherly bonding.(Gift for HailSam)
Relationships: CherryBerry, Papyrus & Sans (Undertale), Sans/Sans (Undertale)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 58





	1. CHAPTER ONE:  "Calendars Are Marvelous Inventions"

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HailSam](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HailSam/gifts).



> A little gift for the marvelous HailSam, who diligently replies to their readers' comments, and has written the best version of Yandere!Blueberry Sans and the cutest Addams Family/Undertale fusion fic I've seen.  
> I'm total trash for their stories and shamelessly offer this fic as tribute.
> 
> The suggestion was to write something with the UF!bros hanging out after they've gotten separate lives.  
> It's resulted in...well, this:

CHAPTER ONE: "Calendars Are Marvelous Inventions"  
\------------------------

Calendars were marvelous inventions.

Truly, since arriving on the Surface, Papyrus found them essential, as he never would have been able to keep track of his schedule otherwise. The transition from Royal Guard to police officer had, for the most part, gone relatively smoothly. However, even in the relatively peaceful city of Ebott, the long and sometimes erratic hours of law enforcement caused his days to blend together seamlessly. One auto collision or having to talk down a couple laying the verbal smack down on one another during a domestic dispute meant he might not be able to reach home until hours after his shift had officially ended. 

On those days (or nights, or even the odd mid-morning times), he would drag his exhausted bones back into his house, stopping only long enough to remove his utility belt and the clunkier parts of his equipment before prostrating himself, still wearing his uniform, onto the first available surface that would fit his person.

Not that he would ever tell Sans that.

No, his brother would give him hell for _weeks_ over Papyrus' skipping his meticulous routine of washing his uniform - or, in the very least, folding it to military standard. Of course, such hassling was really only a cover for Sans' true feelings. As coarse (and occasionally crude) as the elder skeleton came across, he really cared very deeply for his brother. Their harsh life Underground made any weakness, be it real or perceived, a threat to survival, so monsters had to find certain ways to go about masking that they cared for anyone or anything if they didn't have the power to immediately nullify any threats. Over time, the two skeletons had practically developed their own language solely out of bickering, their insults being the only way to point out worries over this risk or that scare.

With neither of them prey any longer to a world in which dressing down for the night meant suicide if caught anywhere outside of a well-fortified and warded hideout, Papyrus knew he really had no good reason (besides working himself to the literal bone) to stray from healthy habits. Therefore, there was no reason to inform Sans of something that would needlessly worry him.

After all, if ever there was a monster that deserved an uninterrupted peace more, it was Papyrus' older brother.

Papyrus supposed he really should start referring to his brother by his nickname now. After all, his brother was not the only Sans about - and, for that matter, neither was he the sole Papyrus.

It still came as a shock that there were other versions of themselves out there, hidden in the vast reaches across time and space. The kid had been the one to do it. A few days after they had been escorted through Snowdin, they showed back up with a huge binder full of notes and handed it to Sans with a cryptic message. Papyrus hadn't understood the language of strange symbols in which the work was written, but it seemed to spark something in Sans that did away with his harsh braggadocio persona and briefly revived the scientific genius that Papyrus had only gotten glimpses of over the course of his remembered childhood. In the end, Sans had come to him, almost breathless, and said:

" _This is it! I've found us a way out of this hellhole, Boss. We can kiss it all good riddance!_ "

With that, Sans had practically dragged Papyrus into the hidden lab behind their house and showed him the machine. Whatever the human had given him it worked, for the next thing he knew, he and his brother were waking up flat on their backs in a snowbank, with two unknown yet familiar eyelights staring down at him.

Imagine to his surprise when he discovered that the eyelights belonged to himself!

Or, rather, not _exactly_ himself.

An alternate self, from a parallel universe. Sans had sat him down and explained the humans' abilities to Reset and how it had led to different timelines and, eventually, a whole complex multiverse of counter realities that stretched and split like the spindly branches of a tree. Something about _their_ human (Frisk) trying to SAVE someone, only to literally break the time-space continuum in doing so. Oh, they eventually got their wish and were able to restore the _deceased prince of all monsters_ , but with an added bonus result:

Creating a reality where the First Fallen Human was alive, too.

Which was where Sans had initially transported them.

The short of it was that many of the alternate universes were unstable, corrupted, and destined to be destroyed. The monsters within them had fallen so far from their original nature that many could not survive. Frisk, however, had done their best to try to save as many monsters as they could find redeemable, but in some cases, there wasn't much they could do. Their own world - dubbed "Underfell" - had been mostly a lost cause.

Even now, however, Papyrus held no lost love for his former world, and instead found himself quickly acclimatizing to living in one of the few stable realms known as "Underswap". He never completely assimilated, as no monster who had lived under constant threat of dusting ever would ever lose their vigilance completely, but the environment was so much healthier than he had ever known. So much healthier for his brother and his incredibly low HP.

Though, he honestly had Blue to thank for most of that.

"Blue" was the name given to the Sans of Underswap, coined from the bright blue magic his often starry eyelights exuded. Blue had taken to the Underfell skeletons like a mother hen to orphaned chicks and had overwhelmed them both with such exuberant displays of compassion and positivity that it made Papyrus (now nicknamed "Edge") think the smaller skeleton was going to shank them both the moment some tentative internal switch flipped.

Of course, that day never came, and Blue actually managed to not only gain Edge's respect, but also win over his brother. The "Red" Sans was completely wrapped around Blue's finger in no time - at least, that's the way it seemed to Edge. Mind you, his days did blend in together because of his job, so perhaps it had taken longer than it really felt. Still, it was obvious that Red basked in the positive reinforcement and affection afforded him by his counterpart. Additionally, Blue seemed to read right through Red's gruff exterior as if it was made of glass, and returned the honesty masked by his insults with all the fervor of a child trying to make his first best friend - a frenetic energy that Edge saw was slowly intensifying, simmering from unbridled enthusiasm to something softer, a focused warmth that he saw his brother drifting steadily closer to as a moth to a flame.

Edge recalled one day he and his brother had been trading remarks as usual, but Edge had gone a bit overboard. Well, overboard to someone who had slowly gotten used to not living in a war zone 24/7. He couldn't remember exactly what it was he'd said back then, but it had left red visibly taken aback. "Edgier" Papyrus, of course, had regretted his words the moment he saw that look, but before he could even react, the normally happy-go-lucky Blue was out of his chair, his arms locked tightly around an upset Red in a protective embrace, and his eyelights - then little more than snake slits - flaring and trained on Edge.

Underfell Papyrus had never felt both that ashamed for hurting his brother and utterly amazed at how fearlessly someone besides himself was willing to defend Red. Seeing the tiny red stars light up in his brother's hollow sockets made his own soul swell with happiness for his brother. 

Once Blue had finished his rant, Edge had formally apologized to Red for falling back into his old habits, and stunned them all by clapping a hand on Blue's shoulder and telling his brother's "guard dog" that he had his blessing to woo his brother.

Both of the Sanses instantly flushed with their respective magics.

They went on their first date a week later.

That was almost two years ago.

When Frisk and their two "siblings" finally finished whatever their experiment in quantum mechanics was long enough for Chara to return and break the Barrier, Red had sheepishly admitted to Edge that he wanted to move in with Blue. 

Edge had never been prouder.

Time had flown by and they had all fallen into their new lives. "Stretch", Blue's Papyrus, chose to live in a house not far from Red and Blue, but Edge chose to move to a much more secluded area on the outskirts of the city. The forest, while not covered in powdery snow most of the year, was still far more comforting to him than the suburbs with a bunch of nosy neighbors, well away from the crowded streets of downtown Ebott and providing plenty of cover for a monster used to watching his back. Nowadays, he usually only had to contend with Underswap's Alphys, who chose to live out in the woodlands so she could train without scaring or accidentally (or purposefully) terrifying any humans. 

With Red safely in good hands, Edge found it easy to throw himself into work without anyone around to temper his workaholic tendencies. Still, he knew he had to slow it down a bit if at all possible, because there were some days too precious for him to miss a moment of.

That is why he found calendars so immensely helpful.

Seeing the little boxes thickly circled in red ink reminded him when he needed to get his act together.

After all, those were the days Red came to visit, and he wouldn't want to miss those for all the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get in the actual bro interaction here because I got so wrapped up in setting the scene, and it just seemed like a good place to leave off.  
> There's more to come, of course.
> 
> Please spread the warm fuzzies by leaving a comment.


	2. CHAPTER TWO: "In Which Red Visits, Traumatizes His Brother, and Proves He's as Much of a Little Shit As Always"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red shows up and the brotherly bonding begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I have a habit for turning really short ideas into these long things. It's like I wake up and the story's spawned chapters like rabbits do bunnies. Had to add to some of the tags, too.
> 
> So have some of UF!Papyrus being a big kid at heart and his brother being a delightful jerk!

CHAPTER TWO: "In Which Red Visits, Traumatizes His Brother, and Proves He's as Much of a Little Shit As Always"  
—————————

Edge did his best to schedule his visits from Red during time she didn't expect there to be much chaos at work. Sometimes, this was hard to do, as crime, accidents, missing persons cases, and the like didn't exactly call a time out simply because a certain skeleton wanted to hang out with his brother (although, Edge did have a demeanor that would cow many criminals, so he did consider the possibility of trying that theory sometime - if only to wrap a case up quicker). Sports games and other events with heavy traffic were bound to be tiring, and the full moon seemed to push some people to being one step away from ax-wielding maniacs, so those times were out. There were occasions where Papyrus had to cut their visits short due to being called in, but thankfully, those days were few and far between.

Typically, he tried to schedule the visits where he had two days off together, allowing him plenty of time to sleep and recover if the previous shift put him getting off work at strange hours. Even then, there were times that Edge found it difficult to fall asleep right away, even if he was exhausted. There was an old saying Underground about how a monster is always a child to their parents. Perhaps, in some ways, it was true for monsters who had practically been raised by their older siblings. In Edge's case, seeing his brother again after going a week or so without being in his presence secretly made him as excited as a babybones at Gyftmas.

Of course, he was about as likely to admit that as he was to brush on some clown makeup and join the circus.

The days of his visits from Red often started the same: Wake up. Go for a job or get in some light training. Shower. Dress. Make breakfast. Down said breakfast. Peruse his phone for any messages from his department and check the news until Red arrived. Try not to appear like he had nearly overturned his chair trying to get to the door after the first knock. Then go from there.

It was a routine Edge looked forward to each and every time, with the steps toward his brother's inevitable arrival filling him with more and more excitement to see the changes that Surface life had had on Red during his absence.

Oh, sure, Edge stopped by Red and Blue's place on his way home from work on occasion, and he never went to sleep without sending a text or making a quick call to let Red know he was checking in with him, but it wasn't the same. Their one-on-one meetups were special, allowing Edge to fully access how Red's safe and healthy home life had improved his quality of life. 

Over time, Edge had seen his brother grow from a haggard form with a greasy skull (thanks to his constant anxious sweating) to looking decently presentable. He didn't go for days without washing his clothes, and the ones he wore now were (mostly) free of stains and tears. He stood up straighter and, despite his penchant for relaxing whenever he could, seemed to have a bit of spring in his step now. Not much of one, mind you, but enough. Like his brother, Red could still pose an intimidating figure when he wanted to, but now, most of the wild and vicious look he once sported was gone, leaving in its place a much calmer, self-assured person. He looked overall like a well-kept monster.

Last time they met up, Edge realized that, if slapped a Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat on him, Red would be the picture of one of those sitcom uncles who'd just won the lottery and now spent most of his time living the good life, sipping drinks out of a coconut shell on some secluded beach. 

That mental image, which Edge could very well see his brother doing, never ceased to make him laugh for weeks after.

Of course, he was mildly disappointed to open the door and see his brother not garbed as he had been in Edge's mental image, but the sight of a healthy, happy Red grinning back at him was enough to make up it.

Edge immediately scooped the shorter skeleton up in his arms and heaved him into the air with a hug. The extra mass he'd gained Aboveground would have weighed him down significantly had Edge not been one of the most powerful monsters around. 

"Easy, Boss," Red said, unable to move as his arms were trapped against his sides, "you're gonna throw out your back hefting me up like this."

"Nonsense, Brother! Despite what I assume to be overindulgence in Blue's signature tacos, you are essentially still a _bag of bones_."

Red, whom Edge knew was still getting used to his brother's indulging him more regularly with his own puns, burst into a deep fit of belly laughter. Edge couldn't help but respond with a chortle of his own as he lowered his brother back to the ground. Red clapped him on the back as Edge motioned for him to step inside of the house.

"I would ask if you had eaten, but..."

Red patted his stomach - or rather, where one would be if he'd summoned the ecto for it. "Nah, Paps, you know Blue don't let me out of the house without something. You know how he is: 'Breakfast is-'"

"'-the most important meal of the day!'" Edge mimicked in the most energetic voice he could muster. Really, how did Blue have so much spare energy? He was like a spinning top from the moment he woke until he crashed at the end of the day. How his laid back brother could ever keep up with him, he'd never know. "Still, coffee?"

"Now that I could go for," Red said. Edge let out a little "Nyeh Heh" in response before setting the pot to percolate. The older brother pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and took a seat. "So, what are we in for today, Boss?"

Most of the time, Red was content to just sit on the couch with Edge and marathon MTT shows, and Edge, as tired as he had been recently from his job, was fine to take in a bit of relaxation, so long as he could take a break part of the way through for some exercise lest he fall asleep. However, Red had actually called him up a few days prior to ask if they could get out of the house and do something this time around.

" _Blue's gonna be gone for a couple of days_ ," Red had told him, " _and I need to run off a bit of steam._ "

That was a bit...unusual for Red. Red had a stubborn streak a mile wide, and therefore refused to still admit certain things, but his tendency to sulk whenever Blue had something he needed to attend without him was probably the world's least kept secret. He'd gotten better at it but he did start snapping at people after Day One. Once Blue was out of town for a whole week, and _Stretch_ called Edge to inform him that he didn't come do something about Red's behaving like an angry Chihuahua, then he was going to have to call and bother Blue.

(Edge had arrive to find Stretch pinned to the ceiling, bone attacks holding his hoodie in place, while the younger Underswap brother was taking a nap. Apparently, Stretch's puns had gotten to Red. How, Edge didn't know, as Red loved puns, but it was enough for Edge to drag Red back to his house for a quick spar to get rid of some of Red's restlessness.)

That being said, it was unspoken that Edge would help Red keep his mind off things when Blue was gone if he had the time. To hear Red admit it might have been a show of emotional maturity, or perhaps Blue having found out what Red did to Stretch that one time and making Blue ask for help. But the way his brother let his words trail off, allowing the silence to linger as if he was trying to find a way to say something else, made Edge wonder what else was on his brother's mind.

Oh, well, Red would open up about whatever it was before he left. That was a given.

After their coffee, Edge dragged (not literally) Red out to the back yard for a friendly spar. After CHECKing his brother's stats to make sure all was normal, he began the session. 

Blue had been fairly persuasive at getting Red to exercise more. Red didn't enjoy jogging and refused to do so more than he had to, as it reminded him too much of having to run for his life from enemies, but he would do it if it made Blue happy. Between that and convincing Red to eat something besides mustard and the occasional greasy mess from Grillby's, his brother had built up a bit more stamina and was actually able to trade off more attacks with Edge nowadays. It was a far cry from his usual blitzkrieg attacks, hitting his opponents as fast and hard as he could before his little strength was depleted - a style of fighting necessitated by his low HP. 

They traded attacks and playful jests for a while, and before long, the sun was high in the sky. It had been a fun match but he didn't want to spend his whole day wearing both himself and Red out, so he called it and the two went back inside the house for lunch.

That was another activity they often did: cooking at least one meal together. They often went with Edge's dish of choice - lasagna - because Red had a tendency to choose quick, greasy meals that Edge detested. On the Surface, Edge found that ingredients were plentiful, so now his kitchen was filled with jars of various spices. He preferred to make everything he could from scratch on these special visits. Putting together the dough to run through the noodle press took time, as did dicing up and combining the ingredients for the sauce. It could easily be a two-person job, and gave the two plenty of time to catch up in a way that didn't involve hopping over or ducking bone attacks.

It was mostly small talk for the longest time, however, and seemed like Red danced around whatever he was trying to tell his brother. Slowly, Edge began to prod him with leading questions, throwing out topics over what might be concerning him and giving him a chance to more smoothly bring whatever it was bothering him into the open.

Was it the Dreemurr kids?

No, they were all doing well. Red wasn't worried about a Reset in their current Universe, either. Something about that having been nullified in their world thanks to whatever checklist they had for their "Groundhog Day" scenario having reached 100% completion.

Then what about work?

No, Red was doing alright in that area, too. He'd taken a step back from his former love of quantum mechanics and found himself helping out a scientist version of Undyne in the industrial sector. It gave him plenty of hands-on work and while still playing around with calculations, and found himself a new love in mechanical engineering.

Was it living on the Surface? Were humans bothering him?

For the most part, no, actually. Some humans found him a little scary, and there were plenty that stared and asked too many questions, but for the most part, they treated him with the same indifference as the rest of their fellow man.

Then was it Stretch? After all, Blue's brother was around them a lot more often. Maybe he was pestering them or overstepping his bounds. The tall Underswap brother may have been even more laid back than Red, but he had just as fierce of a protective streak of Blue as Blue did of Red. Had he said something...?

Red snorted. "Stretch is fine," he told Edge. "Had a little trouble letting Blue go since he treats him more like Blue's his younger bro instead of the other way around, but Blue loves having him over. And he knows when to leave."

Edge emitted a strangled gagging sound at Red's tone with the last statement, his waggling eyebrows only adding to the depraved horror of it. Edge clapped his hands over his temporal bones. "I DO NOT NEED TO KNOW OF THE DETAILS OF YOUR LOVE LIFE, SANS!"

Red grinned widely, the light glinting off his golden tooth. "C'mon, bro, you sure about that? Could give you some pointers for when-"

"AAAAAAHH! I'M NOT LISTENING! LA LA LA LA LA!"

Edge could hear Red's muffled laughter as he danced around the kitchen, dramatically singing the first tune that came to mind to block him out. After about a minute, he noticed the mass of floured dough he had been working with and yanked his hands away from his ears, only to see the powder flaking off them. While he was sure the flour wasn't as noticeable against his already white bones, Red cackled like the hand prints over the sides of his head were obvious enough to be seen from space.

"Sans, you are disgusting!" Edge yelled. Underfell's Papyrus may not have remembered his parents, but he was fairly hearing details of certain...activities...would likely be as traumatic as walking in on said unremembered parents doing the deed. It was another reason he was happy to live where he did, far away from his brother and his lover.

(Surprisingly, Stretch had not teased him over running away from the house, eyes bugged out and screaming, after he found out what Edge had walked in on that one time during an impromptu visit. He had just patted him on the shoulder and asked, " _Where?_ " before offering him a cigarette. Edge would never be able to look at their kitchen counters the same way ever again.)

Edge glared at his brother. "I hate you so much."

"Heh, love you, too, Bro."

The former guard turned back to working up the noodle dough and refused to speak to his brother for the next five minutes.

Eventually, however, Red staunched his flow of lewdness-laced jokes and Edge saw him giving him an skeptical look. "What, Sans?"

"Got magic collecting under your eyes," Red noted, swiping his fingers beneath his own sockets for emphasis. "If you had any more bags there, I'd be asking if you traded being a cop for being a porter."

Edge willed himself not to react. It was easy to forget that skeletons like himself did have magical fluctuations in their features similar to the blood flow in humans. They could flush with rage, blush with embarrassment, or get a slight sheen of dark-colored magic beneath their sockets from lack of sleep or over-usage of magic.

"Your magic's not as bright," Red added, "and the fridge is low on food."

"We just finished sparring and I have plenty of pre-made meals in the freezer," Edge quickly added.

"Been overdoing it at work again, ain't'cha, Boss?"

Ouch, if that one didn't hit him like an attack straight to the soul! Edge couldn't help his job had long hours. His department was short-handed, too, so maybe he did pick up a few more shifts than he was asked. It was hard to turn them down when one officer was on maternity leave, another broke his leg and had to be put on desk work, and a third was still in the hospital recovering from a car wreck. That was in addition to a bit of restructuring chaos still in the works since one of the sergeants retired and one of the detectives transferred after her wife got a promotion and needed to move to another city.

It looks like he was getting sloppy at hiding his weakness nowadays.

"It's only until they can fill in some of the openings in the department," Edge conceded, not about to tell his brother just how much extra work he had been doing.

"Me, Blue and half of Grillby's has been talking about seeing you all over town lately. I was starting to wonder if you'd taken to doing shortcuts."

Edge turned back to the pot he had on the stove and pretended to be very interested in finding that first bubble.

"Paps?"

"Yes, Sans?" Edge asked, not turning away from the stove.

"Just promise me something, will ya'?"

That was also new. Red didn't like making promises, and he extended that courtesy to others. Edge turned to look at the concern marring his brother's facial bones.

"If it gets to the point where it's too much and you start feeling like you're back to being a Royal Guard, like you've got no way out? Remember we're on the Surface now. You aren't stuck. You can always find something else. Or, at least, take some time off and come chill with Blue and me. We love having ya', and I know Stretch would like to see you, too."

"Only because he has more of a chance at winning at trivia if he's not facing you and Blue on his own."

"Heh, sure, Boss. Whatever you say."

"Nyeh heh!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this fic made you laugh, clap your hands~!
> 
> Also, comment XD


	3. CHAPTER THREE: "Brotherly Advice Needed"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red and Edge go camping, Edge meets some old friends, and Red reveals what's been on his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HailSam mentioned camping, so that actually gave me more of a way to flesh out how I was going to do this next part. Enjoy!

CHAPTER THREE: "Brotherly Advice Needed"  
———————

After the food had been made and packed, it was time to begin the second phase of Operation: Get Red Out Of His Funk. 

The two skeletons piled into Red's little beat-up truck, which had already been packed with the bare necessities for this trip. Edge frowned when he saw the familiar junker and couldn't resist shaking his head. Normally, Edge - like most every other monster in existence - had been instilled with a mindset of using and reusing even the most decrepit and threadbare items until no further use could be wrung out of them. However, they were on the Surface now and, begin the rate of monster gold to the local human currency and Red's new job in the STEM field, Edge had goaded him to buy a vehicle that was newer and safer. Still, Red had fallen in love with the old clunker and claimed (in mechanical terms that Edge barely understood) that that particular vehicle held up fairly well in safety ratings, especially with the additional features he and the nerdy Undyne had added.

So long as it didn't fall apart on the way, Edge had no problems with it. Of course, he still teased his brother about it.

"Hey, I like my truck because it's sturdy and reliable," Red had retorted. "Just because you're used to breaking the sound barrier trying to catch speeders doesn't mean there's anything wrong with my baby. Ain't that right, precious?"

Edge snorted as he listened to his brother croon kind words to his vehicle, patting the metal by the driver's window as if it were a faithful dog. It was difficult to stop the grin from spreading across his face when dealing with the big lug sitting next to him nowadays, so he'd slowly stopped bothering to even try to hide it.

"So, where to, Brother?" 

Red let out a little chuckle and grinned. "There's a little place on up the road a little ways I wanna show ya'," he said. A glance in the backseat told Edge all he needed to know.

"Camping?"

Red nodded.

Edge smirked. So that was what Red meant by "getting out of the house". It wasn't an unusual request, so Edge had a feeling this was where the day might take them.

"Lead the way, Sans."

The little clunker pedaled along for some time, snaking through the woodlands until the incline of the roads began to indicate an ascending elevation. Edge soon realized the two of them were headed up to Mt. Ebott. 

Mt. Ebott, once part of a state park for humans, was now an additional tourist attraction due to the small monster town that had cropped up near the base. Monsters and some humans occasionally went Underground, but for the most part, the uppermost portion of the mountain was closed off to most people. Not that it was any change from before, seeing as how the rangers had roped portions of the summit off for conservation purposes prior to the Barrier being broken. Only now, many of the human rangers were joined by a small core of monster guards to preserve the area, as the sight was practically sacred to monsters.

Which meant most monsters could come relax around the area without any sort of vetting process.

After scaling the mountain roads, Red eventually turned off on one that led out a familiar dirt trail.

"The Summit?" Edge asked as the truck coasted to a stop.

"why not?" Red echoed, hopping out so he could grab the bag from the backseat. 

They'd lucked out as the few people milling about were merely ranger staff. Edge waved to a few rabbits he knew from the Snowdin patrol squad and felt a bit nostalgic for his days assisting Alphys when he'd first hopped universes. They immediately perked up and waved him over. Edge knew his brother could see how excited he was, so he wasn't surprised when Red shooed him off to chat. What followed was a lengthy conversation and a great deal of catching up. It wasn't until he was in the middle of recalling a funny incident with Blue and a rather unfortunate incident involving a Moldsmal and a giant holiday gelatin mold that he realized Red had rejoined the group.

"Talking about our last Gyftmas party Underground?" Red asked, clapping his brother on the back. 

"Nyeh heh heh! Of course, Red!" he said with a cocky grin.

One of the rabbits smiled serenely. "You all should come visit the mountain more often," she told them. "It'd be great to get the old crowd together again. Blue was always a riot." She looked around them. "Say, where is the blueberry?"

Her words were echoed by the other rabbits and accompanied by eager glances from the human rangers that had joined the discussion. Edge saw Red smirk at his beloved's name and puff up his chest, obviously proud that Blue was able to conjure up a fan club wherever he was mentioned.

"New branch opened, I'm afraid," Red said, then proceeded to tell the group about the restaurant where Blue worked. The owner, an elderly lady they all called "Abuelita Rosita", thought the world of the little skeleton and often called on his help to assist at some of her other restaurants. It made Blue extremely happy to have found his niche, but it also led to him confusing the heck out of Red whenever Blue would just randomly slip into Spanish in the middle of a conversation. Edge had started to learn by proxy.

Eventually, the two skeletons said their goodbyes with a promise to return with the fabled Blue once he got back into town.

Edge hadn't actually realized he'd failed to ask Red where they were going to be sleeping until they were out near one of the overlooks. The area had just enough of a tree break to stop some of the wind, and the natural terrain of the slope meant most of the rest of it never reached them. Getting to it had required walking out a dirt path for about ten minutes to a cordoned-off camping space, and it took another few minutes before they reached the edge of a cliffside overlook. Red already had the tent up and firewood ready to be lit in the campfire spot, their food bag tied high off the ground to ward away opportunistic animals.

By the time they settled in and had polished off the servings they'd brought along for supper, night was quickly starting to fall.

Edge saw Red staring longingly at his phone at one point, the flames of the campfire dancing around and making strange shadows around his eye sockets. It reminded him that his brother had never answered him about what was bothering him back at home, for he knew there was far more to it than just his worrying about Edge working too hard. The police monster sat aside his now empty lasagna container and struck up a conversation.

"Sans?"

Red jolted out of his thoughts, raising his head. "Yeah, Boss?" From where Edge was sitting, he could see the background of Red's phone: a picture of Blue brightly smiling and waving at the camera. It was a very candid picture and looked cropped out of a photo with other people.

"You never answered my question back home," Edge reminded him. "I asked you who it might be about, but now I realize I may have overlooked the most obvious answer."

At Red's puzzlement, Edge nodded toward the phone. Red looked down and softly chuckled, letting out a soft sigh. 

"Guess I can't slip anything past you, Bro," he said. Edge chortled smugly. Pushing himself up from the stone he was sitting on, Red looked over at his brother. "Be back in a sec."

Edge waited as Red walked over to the tent, dropping down to dig something out of the bag they'd stowed away inside. After a minute, Red seemed to have found what it was, and, heaving a sigh, put it into his pocket and stood.

"Come with me."

Making sure the fire was doused, Edge watched as Red picked up a battery-powered lantern and motioned for him to follow. A few minutes later, the two of them were standing out on the overlook. A fenced-off area made of smooth rock extended out from the grassy area, all surrounded by a stone safety wall. The bulbous outlines of the binocular machines attached to some parts of the wall, and the steadily dimming orange of the sun could be seen far out in the distance, framing the lights of the building of Ebott. The purple-blue-black of the night sky was slowly filling with twinkling stars. 

At Red's nod, he walked out onto the catwalk, then turned and looked back toward the mountain.

Up above them, directly below the rising silver crescent of a moon, was a sight long considered precious - both to Edge and all of monsterkind.

"You recognize that, don't'cha?" Red asked. "The place where the Barrier was. The very spot we were all able to step out onto the Surface for the first time."

The question, of course, was rhetorical. No monster could ever forget the place where they first saw the sun.

"It's a lovely sight, Brother," Edge said, turning around as Red sat his lantern down onto the rock wall, "but what does this have to do with what has been troubling you?"

Red stuffed his hands into his pockets and heaved a sigh. "You know me and Blue's been together for a while now."

"No, really? Next you'll be telling me Frisk is a human."

His brother snorted. Edge made a gesture for him to continue. Red looked up at the entrance to the Underground and smiled. An actual, genuine smile, quite missing all of the mischievousness of his usual grins. It was one he reserved for his family and friends. From the softness of his gaze, it was obvious to Edge for whom that smile was intended.

"You know our past, Paps, and it ain't pretty. I've done a lot of things I'm not proud of. Heh," a self-deprecating laugh escaped him, "I still don't get why a monster like Blue would choose to be with someone like me."

Edge frowned. This again? It had been a few months since Red had been down on himself. They'd both come a long way - both from their Underfell days and time in this world's Underground - and he was hoping that his brother was finally starting to see sense. Of course, Edge knew depression didn't give a crumb about sense, but it still concerned him. At one point while they were still Underground, Red's low self-esteem had led to him breaking up with Blue. 

Of course, that had lasted all of two days. Having an angry Stretch show up looking uncharacteristically murderous and informing Edge how Blue was crying nonstop and refused to come out of his room for either him or Alphys was all Edge needed to know. Edge had promised to handle it and had immediately went upstairs to talk some sense into his brother. Twenty minutes later, Edge marched downstairs, dragging his brother by the wrist like the petulant child he was behaving as, and went straight to Blue's house, gently pushed Alphys aside from the shards of the bedroom door she had broken down, and (quite literally) chucked his brother at the bed where a lump under the covers had been emitting the most soul-wrenching sounds.

The two had promptly had a long talk about their relationship, and Stretch had dropped by long enough to shove Alphys and Edge out of the house so the "two lovebones can have some 'bonding time'".

(All things considered, he probably owed Stretch half an apiary's worth of honey for getting him out of witnessing THE HORRORS OF LOVE more times than he dared to admit.)

"Sans," Edge started, "Brother, we'd been over this. You are more than good enough for Blue, and Blue has good enough taste in that he chose you."

Chuckling met Edge's ears. "Oh, I know that now," Red said. 

"Then, what's wrong?"

"Heh, nothing's wrong. Well, there's one thing I'd like to change..."

Edge raised a brow bone as Red shuffled his hand around in his pocket until he fished something out. In the darkness and from the angle he was at, Edge couldn't tell what it was. Red flipped the little object up, making it spin in the air before catching it.

"Blue," Red started again, "has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Apart from getting you as a brother, us getting out of our old world and onto the Surface here, he's been the light of my fucking life. He was like a damn puppy when we met, bouncing around and laughing and carrying on, having the time of his life. Expected _me_ to join him in that when all I wanted to do was take a nap without having to be bedded down and hidden first. Heh, boy, how'd I ever deserve a guy like him?"

Red finally held the mysterious item up to the light. It was a box.

"I realized a little while ago that I never wanted to let all the joy he's brought me go. I couldn't bear it if he walked out of my life. So, I decided if I wanted to be the monster he deserves, then I outta start by making things a bit more permanent."

Turning the box toward himself, he opened it and smiled at the prize inside.

"Had Alphys and Undyne help me with this, but the venue? I picked it out. Wanted to show you before...well, take a look!"

Red brought the box into view, and nestled inside was a gold band. Inlaid in the gold were two heart-shaped gems the same color as both Sans' magics: one a brilliant carnelian red, the other a deep cobalt blue.

"Wanted to do a half-heart, but the jeweler said it'd be harder to hold the stones in," Red fussed. "Didn't want to do one with a bunch of tiny stones, either. Not when he's going to be wearing it. I know his food's good, but I don't think anybody wants their tacos garnished with sapphires. One hit when he's working out with Alphys and I'm going to have a crying Blue on my hands like he's lost a damn contact lens."

"So, Bro," Red asked, "will you be my best man?"

There was a long pause.

Edge looked between the ring, the mountain venue, and his brother's hopeful expression. The fact he was cupping the little box and grinning with glee only made the situation even more perfect.

After all they had been through, Edge's big brother was finally about to get the happiness he deserved.

"Brother, I accept your offer!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***You read the story about two skeleton brothers having brotherly bonding moments.**
> 
> ***You are filled with WARM FUZZIES.**


	4. CHAPTER FOUR: "When Red's Visit Turns into Bonding Time with Stretch"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A camping trip for two brothers is interrupted.  
> Edge is fine with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter of this fic, and its the first chapter I'll have written for 2020!  
> Happy New Year, everyone!!!
> 
> (Huh. A chapter that's actually on the short side. I'm not used to that.)

CHAPTER FOUR: "When Red's Visit Turns into Bonding Time with Stretch"  
———————

Red was just about to put the ring box back into his pocket when the sound of a loud and jaunty tune filled the air, causing him to nearly drop it. Thankfully, he was still far enough out onto the rock wall that, if he hadn't managed to catch it, it wouldn't have gone tumbling over the side of Mt. Ebott. Red fumbled with the box in a panic before cramming it into the safety of his pocket, heaving a sigh of relief as he patted the tiny treasure for reassurance.

Edge found himself straightening back up from where he had shot forward in attempts to help secure the wayward box.

"Nice save, Sans."

"thanks, bro."

"Well, Brother?" Edge said. "Aren't you going to answer that?" He gestured toward Red's other pocket - the source of the music. Anybody that knew Red knew exactly who was calling him whenever that particular ringtone went off.

Grinning, his brow ridges raised high as he excitedly tugged out his cell. He held up a finger and excused himself for a moment before taking the call.

"baby blue! me and paps was just talking 'bout ya'," he started. "yeah, i've missed you, too. how's that convention been? yeah, i-huh?" 

Suddenly, he froze, a look of shock passing over his face as his eyelights momentarily winked out. For a moment, Edge thought something was wrong, but then Red's eyelights flared back to life, tiny pinpricks shaping into hearts as he gripped the phone with both hands, looking every bit as if he might drop it from whatever news he had gotten.

"no, babe, i'm fine! i didn't expect you'd...n-no! of course i am, sweetheart! i just thought you were gonna be gone the whole time so paps and i went camping. no, you aren't interrupting. how could you think you're interrupting? i-"

Red looked over at Edge for a moment and gestured he was about to speak.

'hold on a minute, babe. edge's probably wondering what's going on."

The shorter skeleton hit the hold button for a moment and pulled the phone away from his head. Edge smiled, having already figured out the reason for his brother's obvious glee. "Blue's back early, I take it?"

"yeah, said one of the speakers had to leave early due to a personal emergency, so he came on back early." 

Edge was happy for him, but he did feel a twinge of disappointment at the thought of their visit ending so quickly. Red looked a bit torn, too. Edge loved his brother and had enjoyed spending time with him, but he knew Red was doing everything he could not to instantly teleport home to his lover.

...Suddenly, Edge got an idea.

"Can he hear us?"

Red shook his head. "no, got 'im on hold. why?"

Edge let out a cocky laugh and threw his head back. Red didn't understand at first, causing Edge to grin. "It's a lovely night, Sans."

Red followed Edge's gaze as he glanced up at the mountain's peak, seeing how the moon was slowly beginning to bathe everything in a golden-silvery light. His smiled widened, and he began to tremble a bit. Edge looked down on him, regarding him with a fond smirk. "You chose the perfect venue. Would be a shame to waste this view."

Moments later, Red was back on the call, giving Blue directions as to where they were at.

If Red had intended to make his proposal a quiet and private event, then he really should have given his heart to another monster. From the moment Red took out the box, Blue was practically teeming with barely suppressed joy. Once the last of those four life-changing words fell from Red, Blue had commenced to making such a loud and raucous display of adoration and happiness that Edge half expected the rangers to be making their way up the mountain at any moment to check on them. Blue had instantly hefted Red up and began swinging him around, laughing and shouting with unhindered glee until Red was nearly sick from dizziness. 

Meanwhile, Edge and Stretch stood safely away from the slightly unhinged chaos the two loverbones were making, watching the whole wondrous event as they stepped back off the stone walkway and headed back up onto the cliff a little ways.

Edge shot Stretch an amused look. "You don't seem surprised."

"I'm more surprised that Red didn't give in and take a shortcut to Blue right in the middle of his convention," he said as he gazed affectionately at his own brother's happy display. "Glad he finally got it out of the way, though. You have no idea how hard it was to keep Blue from picking out rings once Red had ordered his. I owe Abuelita Rosita for keeping him busy lately."

As it turned out, Stretch had known all along what was coming. He'd convinced Red to just go camping with Edge and show him where he was planning on the proposal so he would have a chance to calm his nerves. As soon as Red suggested Blue join him on Mt. Ebott, Stretch knew what Red was up to and teleported them over instantly.

"We only have the one tent, and I don't fancy sleeping in the same place as those two tonight," Edge nodded back toward the celebrating couple. "You have any gear at your place?"

Stretch nodded. "Yeah, shouldn't take more than half an hour to get that and some food together. Blue keeps that stuff on hand for whenever he and Alphys decide on some survivalist training." There might not have been a Royal Guard anymore, but Blue still liked keeping up on his training. 

Edge clapped a hand on the other skeleton's shoulder and nodded - a thank you for helping his brother achieve a long-deserved happiness.

He looked back to his brother, who flailed dizzily until Blue finally put him down, and then he smirked.

...Aaaaaaaand he promptly lost that smirk a moment later.

He looked over at Stretch, who seemed to have spaced out when looking towards him a moment ago, and grabbed his wrist.

"...We should go get your gear."

Stretch chuckled. "I have an extra set of noise-cancelling headphones just for such an occasion."

As they 'ported away, Edge realized he was going to need to add one more very important date to his calendar very soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now, we've come to the end of this fic!
> 
> I had planned on doing a little bit more with Stretch and Edge here, but in the end, I felt like that would take away from the focus around the main two brothers. It felt easier to end it off here with a happy and humorous note as the visit came to a close. I might come back do a sequel later, and chances are, there's probably going to be a podfic of this on down the road once I've gotten my backlog of audios completed.
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this fic. They say whatever you do on New Year's Day is what you'll be doing all year. Guess that means you can expect more writing and audios out of me! Don't party too hardy and remember that DDs wait to get sloshed after they get everyone safely home.  
> Cheers, all! ^-^
> 
> Oh, and I have a Tumblr now. Come Ask me questions and give me Suggestions: https://readwithdetermination.tumblr.com/


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